


We'll Bear This Burden Together

by pikacutie25



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Angst, Blood and Injury, Eventual Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Originally Posted on Tumblr, Pining, What's new, meebo is a lovestruck dork, sorey is oblivious, tsundere blueberry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-07 12:54:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7715620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pikacutie25/pseuds/pikacutie25
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It started out as just another fun expedition for Sorey and Mikleo's archaeology team. But, as luck would have it, fate had a lot of surprises in store for them...</p><p>Posted for sormik week on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Funny story, I actually started writing this during a trip about two weeks ago, and I didn’t even know sormik week was coming up on tumblr until a few days later…at which point I determined that I definitely needed to post this in time for it. So, here we are! This is a modern AU where they're both humans, so no seraphim or magic here. The nerdy archaeologist boyfriends are still nerdy archaeologists though, so no worries there. ;) Enjoy!

“Hey, Mikleo, come look at this!” Sorey waved Mikleo over to where he was crouching in front of an inscription. At first, it was difficult to discern that the marks on the stone were actually words and not simply some of the many nicks and scratches that adorned the interior of the decrepit structure that they were in. However, they had gained enough experience as archaeologists to be able to determine things like the difference between an unintentional scratch and a deliberate engraving. They had also both taken it upon themselves to undertake in-depth studies of the ancient language that they were finding more and more of these days in the ruins that they explored.

There were not many on their archeology team; only three others were willing to come with Mikleo and Sorey on their adventures. Their first member, Millie, was a fiery redhead with a passion for archaeology. Her wild curls were always pulled back into two even pigtails. She was legitimately interested in what they were doing as archaeologists, and often became excited at each new discovery. Her boyfriend, Francis, towered over the whole team with his bulky stature. His blond buzz cut and large biceps made everyone around him seem fragile in comparison. He insisted that he only went on expeditions to protect Millie, and made it repeatedly clear that he strongly disapproved of their “pointless activities.” The four teammates were sure that the last member, Eugene, only tagged along to find valuable treasures for himself. His small stature made it easy for the team to lose sight of him for parts of expeditions. Eugene’s pockets seemed to be more full after every trip, although he would insist, after pushing up his glasses, that they were simply imagining things. He wasn't exactly hurting their expeditions in any significant way, so nobody ever pressed the matter.

When Francis or Eugene would ask why Sorey and Mikleo loved exploring ruins and discovering relics of the ancient past so much, they would try their hardest to explain the excitement of learning about another culture that existed in the past. They would cite the challenge in having to construct a picture of the dead civilization all by themselves, with pieces that they even had to find. They also tried to explain the thrill of the sense of the unknown that they encountered every time they ventured into a new place.

Millie would give a similar answer to the questions about their expeditions, which always seemed to annoy Francis. Every time Sorey and Mikleo attempted to transfer their enthusiasm to their other teammates, the best response they could ever get was a halfhearted acknowledgment of the importance of uncovering as much of lost history as possible. Eventually, the duo realized the futility of that goal, and simply appreciated the presence of their other companions on each adventure.

* * * * *

On their current excursion, they had arrived at what looked like a refurbished cave system nestled into a mountain that may have been a human settlement in the past. The large cave walls were mostly smooth and uniform in size, giving the impression that a civilization had indeed changed the walls. However, some of the tunnels appeared to have caved in, as they would often come to dead ends that looked like a bunch of rocks piled on top of each other. Although Francis was bulky and could easily protect himself, he was the worrywart of the group. He voiced his opinion on how unsafe the place probably was, but his concerns went unheard over the trio of geeks who were having another heated discussion.

“Alright, so as I've been mapping the area out,” Sorey had begun, “I noticed something really cool! Look.” Millie and Mikleo walked over to him, and he pointed to the hand-drawn map he was holding.

“If you ignore the caved-in areas, the tunnels all seem to be arranged in a perfectly symmetrical grid,” Mikleo observed.

“Isn’t that really weird, though?” Millie volunteered. “That doesn’t seem natural.”

“Exactly!” Sorey said excitedly, his expression brightening. “So I was thinking: what if this cave system didn’t already exist before settlement? What if these people dug these tunnels entirely from scratch?”

“A nice hypothesis, but that doesn’t quite fit what we’ve seen,” Mikleo countered. “The style of the architecture and artifacts we’ve found puts this place in the Arlyn Era at the latest, so there’s no way they could have had the technology to do such a thing.”

“Modifying preexisting structures is one thing, but creating them entirely from scratch is something else,” the redhead agreed. “Making a place like this without significant technological assistance would have taken at least several decades, even factoring in best-case scenarios.”

“And at that point, they would have been better off spending their time constructing a settlement in a more suitable location anyways,” Mikleo continued. “Hiding out in a cave like this one with no usable resources would have made more sense during a warring time like the Bressal Ages, not the peaceful Arlyn Era.”

“But isn’t there at least the possibility?” Sorey persisted. “The Arlyn Era wasn’t too far off from the first technological revolution, so what if we’re looking at the origins of that technology? And besides, if living in caves like this wouldn’t make sense during the Arlyn Era, then why were they here to begin with?”

At this, they all fell into meditative silence. After a few minutes, Eugene impatiently cleared his throat to garner their attention, since he was eager to see what treasures awaited him. “Well, if we’re all done with our little discussion, then maybe it’s time we moved on?”

“The sooner we get out of this place, the better,” Francis muttered in agreement.

“S-sorry,” the other three mumbled, and resumed walking through the ruins.

* * * * *

The team now found themselves in the largest room they’d seen yet, and it looked to be some kind of shrine. There were all sorts of fancy decorations that lined the walls and makeshift tables in the room, many of which Eugene took the liberty of pocketing in his backpack. “For later study, of course,” he insisted while pushing up his glasses. The most immediately obvious feature of the room, however, was the giant statue standing squarely in the center.

“Wow,” Millie said in awe, her expression brightened as she fumbled through her bag to grab her camera.

“I don’t think we’ve ever seen a figure like this, have we, Mikleo?” Sorey asked, scratching his chin in thought.

“Not that I can remember,” Mikleo affirmed. “But from what I can tell, it does at least seem to be some kind of deity.”

“Yeah...” Sorey trailed off as he began to walk around the statue, examining it. Mikleo would have joined in looking over the details of the statue, but he trusted Sorey to do a good enough job without him. Plus, he thought it was much more interesting to watch Sorey himself, _with how happy and excited he looked and all…_

Mikleo was suddenly snapped out of his trance when he heard someone lightly clear their throat. He then noticed that Millie had run up to him at some point, curls bouncing as she gave him a knowing look. “W-what?” Mikleo said, defensively.

“Look, I know that you think that Sorey is so beautiful to stare at–” she held up a finger when he was about to protest – “but you should know better than anyone that he is the densest person in, well, the universe, probably. He’s never gonna get it unless you tell him directly.” Millie winked mischievously before returning to her photography duties.

Feeling a bit defeated, Mikleo had to acknowledge that Millie was right. Sorey had always been more oblivious than most, ever since childhood. Although, he had to admit, that was one of the parts about him that he found the most endearing. Quite adorable, actually, even though he would never say that aloud to a single soul. Although Mikleo would admit to himself that he loved Sorey, the longer he waited to admit his feelings, the harder it would be to do so once he finally confessed.

As he looked back at Sorey – who was currently making one of the most adorably childlike expressions of fascination, Mikleo cursed – he decided to strengthen his resolve and finally tell Sorey how he felt. The nervous boy began to walk over to where the brunette was crouched down, but right as he was about to speak, Sorey’s head jerked up with a look of pure fascination in his eyes. He gestured over to himself, saying, “Hey, Mikleo, come look at this!”

He was a bit irked by the timing of his childhood friend’s finding, but decided that he should keep quiet and hold off on his confession until they were done with their expedition. _After all, it’s not like I have a time limit or anything,_ Mikleo thought to himself, shrugging internally.

As he reached Sorey, he realized that he was pointing to an inscription on the backside of the statue. “The ancient language...” Mikleo recognized quickly.

“Yep! So, let’s get to work translating it!” Sorey said, grinning. By now, Millie had finished taking her pictures, so she decided to drag an unwilling Francis with her to watch them translate. On the other side of the room, Eugene was busying himself with the trinkets, mentally taking his pick of what he should bring home.

Although there was only one line for the duo to translate, it took them around half an hour to decode it because they weren’t very well-versed yet in the native language. “Alright,” Mikleo finally announced, “this looks right.”

Sorey nodded and read out, “The dark guardian stands watch over the natural treasures of these caves and smites down all who may try to plunder these sacred grounds.”

“That sounds...dangerous,” Francis meekly pointed out, his tightening grip on his flashlight slowly crushing the plastic. “Does that mean that there are traps here or something?”

“The probability of that is fairly low,” Mikleo stated matter-of-factly. “That these people would attempt to implement traps during a peaceful era, that they would succeed in making such dangerous traps, and that these traps would still be active to this day…” He paused for a moment. “But, to be safe, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility.”

“What could they have meant by ‘natural treasures,’ though?” Millie asked curiously from behind Francis. “Were there maybe some kind of valuable natural resources here?”

“Oh!” Sorey said suddenly, seeming to have had some sort of revelation. “I think I’ve got it! We were wondering earlier why these people would have chosen to live in a place like this in the first place, right? What if one day someone made a grand discovery in these mountains in the form of a natural resource? A discovery of such a magnitude as to possibly kick-start a technological revolution?”

“Other people would find out about the valuable location and begin flocking to the area, attempting to start mines to try to obtain that resource,” Mikleo reasoned.

“And as more and more people keep coming to a single area for long periods of time?” Sorey encouraged.

“A settlement will need to arise, for the convenience of every person in the area,” Mikleo followed his train of thought. “And for a settlement that arises solely because of a mine...”

“What makes more sense than to turn that mine into the settlement itself?” Sorey finished with a triumphant grin.

“And so this completely man-made cave system arose,” Millie concluded in awe.

After taking a moment to let this newfound knowledge sink in, Mikleo added, “This would definitely explain why this cave system has a grid layout, too. It’s the most efficient mining method.”

“This is amazing!” Sorey exclaimed. “What we’ve just found has now explained a vital missing piece of history! We’ve gotta get this back to–”

Sorey was interrupted by a sudden strong feeling of air rushing past them. Mikleo turned just in time to see a large rock fall from the cave ceiling across the room, right over Eugene. He was holding and inspecting an ornate vase, so he didn’t see the imminent threat descending upon him until the last second. Dropping the vase, he lunged forward in an attempt to avoid the rock.

The four team members rushed over to Eugene, who was now lying stomach-down on the floor, weakly whimpering for help. Mikleo shuddered as he realized that his teammate’s legs were crushed under the giant rock, which was almost the same size as the small man.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuing from the [kinda] cliffhanger of chapter 1, I bear chapter 2, which is a good deal longer! I hope it’s enjoyable~
> 
> Trigger Warning: This chapter contains a fair amount of blood/gore, so read at your own risk.

“Come on, let’s push this off of him!” Francis commanded. The group immediately got to work trying to move the boulder, pushing with all their might. With the blond’s immense upper body strength and everyone’s help, the stone soon rolled off, freeing Eugene’s now-mangled legs. After taking a minute to catch his breath, Francis bent down to look at the damage.

“I can’t feel my legs,” Eugene said weakly. It wasn’t a surprising revelation, considering the weight of the rock that had been crushing him and how much of a bloody mess his legs seemed to be.

“It looks like that vase was weighing down this pressure plate here,” Mikleo mused, after he examined the scene. “If I had to guess, it was holding that boulder in the ceiling all these years until someone moved it.”

“Well, how was I supposed to know the damn thing was booby-trapped?” Eugene yelled, slamming his fist on the ground. “Maybe if you had worked harder to translate that inscription faster, you’d have been able to help prevent this!”

Sorey’s face fell as he considered what Eugene said. Recognizing that it probably was his own fault, he began, “You’re right. I’m sorr–”

“No, Sorey,” Millie interrupted. “Are you kidding, Eugene? It’s not their fault, and you know it!” She glared down at the smaller man.

“Anyways,” Francis spoke out again, trying to dilute the tension in the air, “we need to get him out of here. We need to try to get these legs treated in an actual hospital as soon as possible. Do we have any cell signal, Mill?”

“None,” the redhead announced after taking a quick look at her phone. “We are inside of a mountain, after all.”

“Right,” Francis continued, “then we need to walk him out of here and call for help once we have a signal. Come on, buddy.” He hoisted Eugene up to hang over his shoulders as easily as if he was lifting a sack of potatoes, prompting the smaller man to let out a few pained yelps. After a short pause, Francis turned around and said, “You’re the one with the map, Sorey. Lead us out of here.”

“R-right,” Sorey replied, snapping out of the forlorn silence into which he had slipped. Grabbing out his map, he began leading the team in the direction of the exit.

Throughout the whole trek back, not a single word was spoken by anyone – aside from the occasional groan from Eugene – which didn’t help the tension that still hung in the air. Mikleo could tell that Sorey was still feeling down and probably still blaming himself, like the selfless idiot he was. He wanted to say something, but didn’t want to say it in front of Eugene out of fear of another outburst, which would only create more tension. Instead, Mikleo settled for putting his hand on Sorey’s shoulder and giving him a firm look, hoping to get the message across without words. It seemed to work, as Sorey looked up at him and gave him a small smile back in thanks.

Once they reached the outside of the mountain, Francis gently set Eugene down on the ground, and Millie pulled out her phone to call for help. After a short conversation explaining their location, she hung up and said, “They’re on the way.”

“Good,” Francis nodded and ran a hand through his hair. “So, I guess we’ll just wait here until then.”

A moment of silence passed before Millie gasped while looking through her bag. “I left my camera back there!”

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” Francis deadpanned. “You’re not thinking of going back to that dangerous place, are you?”

“Of course I have to go back! There were so many pictures on there! Besides, that was one expensive camera, and that is not something I want to replace.” Millie crossed her arms stubbornly and held her ground. Her boyfriend stared at her for a moment then gave a long sigh.

“Who is gonna stay here to watch over Eugene, then?” he questioned with a look toward the injured party.

“You, silly!” the redhead poked a finger playfully at him.

“Mill...”

“Don’t worry, Francey, Sorey and Mikleo will come with me! Right?” she grinned as she put her arms around the two boys in question, pulling them in close.

“Ah–” Sorey started, surprised.

“–right,” Mikleo finished.

When Francis looked wholly unconvinced, Millie added, “We’ll be alright. I promise.”

After letting out another sigh, Francis relented, “Alright then. But try to be quick, okay?”

“Will do!” she sang and began dragging Sorey and Mikleo back into the ruins with her.

Once inside and out of earshot of the other two members, Sorey ventured, “So, why did you have us come with you instead of Francis? Shouldn’t we have been the ones to stay outside?”

“Becauuuse, Francey would have never let me continue exploring!” Millie answered with a grin, waving the camera that she had supposedly left somewhere inside the ruins.

“Ehhhh!?” came the simultaneous response from the two shocked boys.

“You made up an excuse for the three of us to come back in here together!?” Mikleo stated the obvious.

“You bet!” she replied. When she was still only met by disbelieving expressions, she elaborated, “Oh, come on! We didn’t finish exploring, right?”

“Well, yeah, but...” Mikleo tried to counter, but trailed off.

“And when do you think we’ll be able to come back here again?” Millie continued.

“Probably never,” Sorey admitted, scratching the back of his head nervously.

“Exactly! So, what are we waiting for? Let’s hurry, before he gets suspicious!” And with that, she charged ahead, leaving the boys sprinting to try to catch up to her.

“Wait, do you even know where you’re going!?” Mikleo called out to her, remembering that Sorey was the one with the map.

“Mostly!”

Mikleo could tell by the scheming look on Millie’s face that she was planning something in her head. He also had a sinking feeling that it had to do with him and Sorey, and that mischievous smile wasn’t helping to disprove his suspicions.

* * * * *

After the three of them reached the room where the incident had taken place, they all stopped to catch their breaths. “Did we really...need to run...so fast?” Mikleo panted. Millie only gave a grin in response, which irritated him to no end.

Once they all sufficiently recovered, the redhead took the liberty to ask, “So, where should we go next?”

“Well,” Sorey began, looking at his map again, “it actually looks like we’ve covered almost everything up until this room, aside from the inaccessible areas. So, the only way to go is...” Sorey pointed to the opposite side of the room from where they entered. “Forward.”

“Sounds good to me,” Mikleo affirmed.

“Alright then, let’s go!” Millie proclaimed, beginning to walk towards the hall behind the giant statue.

“Let’s remember to be wary of more traps, though,” Mikleo advised, eyeing the statue as they passed it.

As they walked, Sorey resumed his mapping duty, although there wasn’t much to do since the long hallway hadn’t even changed direction, let alone have any other adjoining rooms. After they had been walking for a while, Sorey suddenly felt himself stopped by Mikleo’s outstretched arm. “Wait,” he said seriously, bending down to examine something on the floor in front of them. After a minute, Mikleo announced, “As I thought; there’s another pressure plate here on the ground.” He gestured to a small section of stone that was noticeably raised above the surrounding area.

“Whoa, that was a close one,” Sorey said nervously. “But that was a nice catch, Mikleo! You’re so perceptive!”

Caught off-guard by the unexpected compliment, Mikleo felt his face heat up and mumbled, “It was nothing...” Avoiding Sorey’s irresistibly bright eyes, Mikleo’s gaze wandered elsewhere, only to be met by a smirking Millie. Trying to hide his increasing blush, Mikleo quickly changed the subject and said, probably too loudly, “Well, let’s keep going, then.”

Obviously confused by Mikleo’s change in mood and Millie’s resulting snicker, Sorey asked, “Eh? Did something happen?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Millie replied mischievously. “He’ll tell you when he’s ready, I’m sure.”

“Would you–!” Mikleo began to retort, but stopped when he realized that it could only end badly for him. If Sorey’s renewed confusion and Millie’s continued sneer were anything to go by, that is. _I’m not saying anything to him right now, especially not in front of you,_ Mikleo thought resentfully, nearly stomping as he continued onwards. Millie had a hard time containing her laughter as she followed, while the clueless Sorey could only unsuccessfully try to piece together what had happened.

After a few more minutes of walking down the seemingly endless hallway, the narrow corridor finally gave way to a wide room. It was almost as large as the shrine room, which was impressive considering that all the other rooms they had seen came nowhere close to the size of these rooms. The most impressive part of the room, however, was not the size but the spectacular _brightness_ of it. Embedded in the walls and floor all throughout the room were pieces of all shapes and sizes of some kind of shiny stone.

“Whoa...” Millie breathed as she stopped to take pictures of the room.

“This must be the amazing natural resource they created these mines for!” Sorey said, excitement immediately reignited. He ran up to one of the walls to get a closer look at the mystery rock, Mikleo walking close behind him.

“Logamite,” Mikleo remarked after inspecting one of the pieces for a minute.

“Logamite!?” Millie exclaimed from behind her camera. “You mean, _that_ logamite? The mineral that catalyzed the first technological revolution and served as a turning point in the Great War of the succeeding Bressal Ages?”

“Yes, it appears so,” Mikleo affirmed. “What do you think, Sorey?”

“Sure looks like it to me!” Sorey replied giddily as he continued staring at the beautiful stones. “This is so amazing!”

“It sure is,” Mikleo stated, watching Sorey’s expression of pure delight. He was relieved to see his carefree smile yet again, the earlier tragedy at least temporarily forgotten. For the moment, he also forgot about the presence of a third person who actually tried her hardest to keep a distance from them _for once_.

Instead, he found himself lost, as he often did, in Sorey’s bright green eyes that sparkled enough to rival the very stones they were looking at on the wall in front of them.

He passively noted Sorey’s actions – which at the moment consisted mostly of curiously feeling the surface of the smooth stones – and the appearance of the logamite-filled wall. One of the pieces, he suddenly noticed, was evenly shaped and unnaturally protruding from the wall. Very unnaturally, Mikleo suddenly realized with horror as Sorey reached out to touch it. “Sorey, wait!”

* * * * *

Outside the ruins, Francis and Eugene were biding their time until their help arrived. Eugene was still groaning from the pain, but they otherwise sat in silence. After a while, perhaps to distract himself, Eugene broke the silence. “So, do you not get irritated by the constant talk of history, architecture, and whatever else coming out of those guys’ mouths?”

“Well, I’ll admit that those subjects are pretty low on the list of things I’d want to normally hold a conversation about,” Francis admitted, peeling a banana to eat.

“So...is that a ‘yes, I do get irritated but just never say anything’ or a ‘I’m such a swell guy that nothing really bothers me?’” Eugene said sarcastically.

Francis paused for a moment. “Honestly, neither,” he answered with his mouth full.

“...huh? What is that supposed to mean?”

“When it comes to Millie at least, I couldn’t care less what we’re talking about,” he swallowed and explained. “I’m content enough just being with her, and nothing makes me happier than seeing her get so excited discussing something she loves so much.”

“Yuck. Stop all that mushy talk, it’s creeping me out,” Eugene groaned as he rolled his eyes.

“At least I don’t openly ogle her to the point that I’m basically holding up a sign saying, ‘I’m so head over heels for you!’” Francis laughed.

“Heh. You’re talking about Mikleo, right?”

“Who else? That guy couldn’t be any more obvious even if he tried. Too bad Sorey is more oblivious to romantic cues than a deaf person is to sound,” he sighed and continued eating his snack.

“Man, if we’re this annoyed by their stagnant relationship, then I can only imagine how irritated Mikleo must feel,” Eugene said in a surprisingly sympathetic tone. “I’m surprised the guy hasn’t jumped off a cliff in frustration.”

“That’s why I think Millie’s been trying to help them out. I’ve noticed she’s been more...proactive lately. And once Millie sets her mind to something, you’d better watch out!” Francis chuckled.

Eugene laughed too, but stopped when the resulting shaking moved his legs in a very painful way. Even after he stopped, however, he still felt himself shaking. “D-do you feel that…?” Francis immediately shot up, as the sudden feeling of the ground shaking was not an easy thing to miss. “Is it...an e-earthquake?”

“No...no, it can’t…!” Francis dropped his banana in shock as he looked over to the entrance of the ruins where the rumbling was coming from. “Something’s happening in there. I’ve gotta go–”

“H-hey, you’re not gonna just leave me here all alone, are you?” Eugene piped up shakily.

“Don’t worry, help will be here soon. Please, just make sure you tell them that we went in there and that we might need more help. Please,” Francis finished before dashing back into the cave entrance. _Mill...please be alright…_ he thought frantically as he desperately tried to find his way to where he thought the three others would be.

* * * * *

“W-what’s happening?” Millie asked, terrified of the sudden rumbling they all felt reverberating throughout their bodies. They didn’t have to look far for an answer, though, as they soon found themselves being pelted by tiny rocks and dirt that were streaming from the ceiling. A ceiling that, they soon realized, was slowly opening up to allow even larger rocks to fall on them.

“We have to get out of here!” Mikleo shouted before retreating back into the hallway, the other two right on his heels. The three quickly discovered, however, that the ceiling retraction was happening not only in the logamite room but also in the long corridor into which they had charged. With no other choice than to try to reach the statue room where the ceiling would hopefully still be intact, they began running once more. The longer they ran, the larger the rocks that were assaulting them became. Thankfully, the ceiling was tall enough that they all had enough time to dodge the largest rocks, and as they were nearing the entrance to the statue room again, it seemed as if the downpour of stones was finally ending.

Sorey, who at some point had gotten in front of the other two, looked behind at them as he was running and remarked, “Hey, it looks like the flow of rocks is slowing down!”

“Thank god,” Millie replied breathlessly from a bit farther back than the other two. “Now, I just want to get home and–” she paused to take a breath but suddenly gasped. Both boys whipped around to see why she had stopped, only to find that their teammate had been impaled with several thin arrows. Mikleo realized in horror that the arrows had been released from the wall by a pressure plate that Sorey had unknowingly stepped on just moments before; the very same pressure plate that Mikleo had pointed out their first time through the hallway.

The redhead lost her balance and fell to the ground, gasping for air. Sorey and Mikleo both called out her name as they dashed over to her.

“Millie…?” Sorey said in disbelief.

“This can’t be happening...” Mikleo spoke in the same tone. He could immediately tell that one of the arrows had punctured her lung area. _It’s probably a fatal wound_ , he thought to himself in despair.

Blood was slowly dripping on the ground from the arrow wounds across Millie’s body. Both boys crouched near her as her frame shook, more blood spilling from her mouth with each hoarse cough.

“Tell Francis,” she choked out, “to enjoy life’s adventures.” She paused for a moment, seemingly holding back a sob. “Even without me.”

Mikleo glanced at Sorey, who was frozen in shock, unable to speak. Millie’s breathing was getting weaker as tears began to stream from her eyes. Her unruly red hair framed her face, which was now as pale as porcelain. “We will,” Mikleo assured her. She smiled softly at her teammates one last time as she closed her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. :')


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I deeply apologize for the ending of that last chapter...but it was necessary! I won't kill anyone else, I promise!

“This is all my fault,” Sorey whispered hoarsely after standing up and taking a few shaky steps away from Millie’s corpse.

“Sorey...” Mikleo turned to face him.

“I knew it, I thought I stepped on something right before it happened, but I just ignored it because I thought it wasn’t important...I’m the one who stepped on the pressure plate that fired these arrows in the first place.”

“Sorey, it’s not your fault that–”

“It’s not my fault!?” Sorey raised his voice, surprising Mikleo. “No matter how you look at it, it _is_ my fault! _I_ caused the rain of rocks, _I_ triggered the arrows, and _I_ even planned this stupid expedition in the first place! Because of me, Millie is...”

“Sorey, listen to me,” Mikleo said in a firmer tone as he stepped towards him. “I’m sure Millie doesn’t blame you for any of this. She knew as well as us the dangers of coming on any expedition, let alone just this one. So, don’t you for one second let yourself think that everything that’s happened is your fault. You need to know that no matter what happens, I’ll always–”

Just as he was about to confess, the ground under their feet gave way, most likely weakened from the earlier avalanche of rocks. As they began to fall, Mikleo impulsively reached out to Sorey and grabbed hold of him. He quickly oriented himself to be beneath the other boy, then laughed internally at his unthinking willingness to trade his safety for Sorey’s. _I really am in deep, huh,_ he thought to himself with amusement. _This thing called love._ The last thing Mikleo registered before hitting the ground was Sorey weakly crying out his name.

* * * * *

Outside the ruins, Eugene continued to sit by himself in pain. _Damn Francis, leaving me here like that,_ he fumed. _Actually, damn all of them for charging back into that death trap! Forget this ruin-raiding business, no amount of treasure is worth this kind of risk!_

He looked back down at his legs and immediately regretted it; he was sure that even horror movies didn’t look this bad. As he started to wonder whether he would ever be able to fully recover from this injury, he began to hear the sound of a helicopter approaching. He looked up to find that help in the form of a large helicopter with a red cross painted on the side had finally arrived. A spotlight device attached to the machine shone down on him to confirm his location before carefully beginning its descent.

After it landed, several medical personnel streamed out and ran up to Eugene. One crouched down to look over his injured legs, saying, “You’re a lucky one. If you had called us any later, we’d have had to put off coming until tomorrow because of the incoming storm.”

Even though she said so, Eugene didn’t really feel all that lucky. After the examiner finished her statement, one of the others began questioning him. There were only a few questions, and they were of the simple can-you-explain-what-happened type, but Eugene was irritated that they were wasting time interrogating him when they should be taking him to the hospital as soon as possible.

The assistant examining his legs motioned to the others to bring a stretcher once she was finally satisfied with her observations. The interrogator, seeing that they were about ready to leave, decided to ask Eugene one last question. “Now, it seems that the call for us was placed by a female. Do you know what happened to her?”

Eugene was about to answer that his other teammates were all still in the ruins, but hesitated. There was a rumbling coming from the caves earlier, but that didn’t necessarily equate to trouble. _They probably found some kind of secret door, knowing them,_ Eugene waved his worry away. _And besides, those jerks all left me out here by myself! What if I had gotten attacked by something? They can find their own way back._

“No, I have no idea,” Eugene replied. Apparently satisfied with his answer, the interrogator nodded and returned to the helicopter to allow the other personnel to transfer the injured man to the stretcher. Within minutes, they were all in the air on the way to the nearest hospital.

* * * * *

After his eyes adjusted to the light of the room, Sorey noted that they had fallen into another passage that was likely connected to the mines somewhere. The first and foremost thing on his mind, however, was Mikleo, who had purposefully broken his fall and now lied unconscious beneath him. Moving to the side, Sorey carefully lifted his slender frame into his lap. “Mikleo?” his voice shook as he gingerly brushed the dirt off of his face. Noticing that his hand that was supporting the back of Mikleo’s head suddenly felt wet and warm, Sorey lifted it and immediately realized what the cause was: blood. _Mikleo’s blood._ When he hit the ground, he must have landed quite forcefully on his head. Fearing the worst, Sorey put his ear to Mikleo’s chest, listening desperately for a heartbeat. It was a weak one – one that he had to strain his ears to hear – but to Sorey’s great relief, it meant that he was still alive.

Realizing that he needed immediate medical attention, Sorey gently placed him back on the ground and reached into his bag to pull out his first-aid kit. He had never needed to perform first-aid of this caliber – let alone to someone who was actually unconscious – so he struggled to think of what he needed to do. _Should I disinfect it first?_ Sorey thought frantically. _Am I supposed to even disinfect something like this at all? Maybe I should just wrap it up with gauze...but how should I wrap it? How tightly?_ He mentally beat himself for not having paid proper attention to the fine details when he first learned this stuff. _Mikleo was always the one who was better at this kind of thing…_

Right as Sorey was lost on what to do next, he heard Mikleo groan and saw him shift in front of him. “Mikleo?” Sorey spoke cautiously. After several painfully long seconds, he finally opened his eyes, to which Sorey smiled in relief, almost in tears. “Mikleo! You’re alright!”

“What...’appened…?” Mikleo managed to ask. He attempted to sit up but struggled, so Sorey reached out to help him. Wincing from the sudden movement, Mikleo brought his hand to the back of his own head, feeling the spot where he had gotten hit.

“I should be the one asking _you_ what happened!” Sorey replied in a half-indignant, half-hysterical tone. “You just decided that breaking my fall with your own body was the best course of action? You could have died!” He felt tears behind his eyes, but held them back. “Idiot...” he mumbled, but he himself wasn’t even sure who it was directed at.

“I see...” Mikleo replied, looking just the slightest bit confused. He was probably still woozy from hitting his head. He glanced around them, then asked, “S’where’re we at, then?”

“Well...it looks like we fell into another part of the ruins that we haven’t been to yet, but this probably connects back to the rest,” Sorey answered hesitantly, a bit worried at Mikleo’s slurred speech. “We will definitely find a way out. Are you alright, though?”

“Prob’ly,” he answered, attempting to stand up. When he had trouble again, Sorey offered him a hand, which Mikleo gratefully accepted. Once on his feet, however, he soon lost his balance and began to fall back down. Reacting quickly, Sorey reached out and caught him around his waist.

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay!?” He was worried even more now. Mikleo looked like he was having a hard enough time staying conscious, let alone standing on his own two feet. “Maybe we should just rest here until you’re feeling better...”

“No, don’ worry ‘bout it,” Mikleo insisted, still slurring his speech. “’m fine, I jus’ need a l’il help, ‘s’all.”

Any intelligent person could easily tell that Mikleo was definitely not in any shape to be walking around. Against his better judgment, however, Sorey decided to give in, helping him walk by keeping him steady at the waist. Somehow, he found he quite liked the feeling of holding Mikleo close to him, although he had no inkling of the reason why yet.

Sorey picked the direction that would most likely lead back to the entrance and, making sure he had a good hold of his childhood friend, began to lead him onwards. Mikleo had great difficulty walking at first – he required almost the full support of his taller companion to keep from falling right back down on the floor – but Sorey never faltered in the strength of his grip.

After they had been walking for about ten minutes, they came upon a dead end in the form of a cave-in. Whether the passage was blocked before or after the traps went off, Sorey wasn’t certain, but it didn’t matter. “Well, I guess we’ll need to backtrack and find a different path,” Sorey sighed, beginning to turn them around.

“Sorey? Is that you?” he suddenly heard a voice from the other side of the rocky blockade.

“Francis?” the brunette responded incredulously, moving them closer to the barrier so they could hear better. “Yeah, it’s me!”

“Oh, thank god!” Sorey could hear his relief. “I’ve been wandering around this place for who-knows-how-long just trying to find you guys. Probably would’ve been a lot easier if I’d had a map like you...”

“Francis, listen!” he cut their small talk short. “Mikleo’s been injured pretty badly. Do you know if help has arrived yet?”

“Told you, ‘m fine...” Mikleo mumbled, but Sorey ignored him.

“What, are you serious?” Francis instantly took on a more serious tone. “Well, now that you mention it, they really should have gotten here by now...I’m going to go back and check. Wait here, alright?”

Sorey then heard him take off, the sound of the large man’s pounding footsteps quickly fading away into the distance. _I hope he’ll be able to find his way back here,_ the brunette thought, a bit worried. “I guess that’s our cue to just rest for a bit,” he said at length. “Here, let me help you sit down.”

“N-no, ‘s not nec’ssary,” Mikleo refused, seeming a bit abashed. “Just...lean me ‘gainst the wall there.”

 _Why is he being so stubborn about such small things all of a sudden…?_ Sorey noted, feeling slightly concerned. “Alright, if you say so,” he agreed reluctantly, guiding the obstinate boy to the wall.

Upon reaching the wall, Mikleo put his back against it and let himself slowly slide down to the ground. Sorey sat down across from him, although with a little more distance than usual. He didn’t like the awkward tension that now hung in the air between them, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. So, he remained silent as they waited for their companion to return with help.

Eventually, Mikleo was the one who decided to break the silence. “So...why’re we here, again?”

His slurring seemed to have lessened, but now Sorey was confused by what he was actually saying. “You mean, why are we here in these ruins?”

“Yeah,” the smaller boy clarified.

“Well...we had researched this area a while back and determined that there had to be something interesting here, right?” Sorey answered carefully. “So I...I planned this trip.”

He wondered if Mikleo suddenly felt like calling him out on his stupidity by asking that question. _Or at the very least, he had to be pointing out the relatively fruitless results_ _our_ _expedition got_ _us,_ the brunette brooded _._ _W_ _e may have made a pretty huge_ _historical_ _discovery, but at what cost?_ He was immediately reminded of Eugene whose legs were utterly crushed, of Millie who was now _dead_ , and even of his childhood friend who was sitting across from him with an unknown injury.

Sorey’s face fell as he suddenly felt an onset of negative feelings, prompting Mikleo to look up at him in confusion. “I...I know that you said what happened isn’t my fault,” Sorey continued, “but I really can’t help but feel that it is.”

“Sorey...” Mikleo started uncertainly, “...right?”

“Huh?” the brunette responded, confused.

“That’s what I heard that guy from earlier call you.”

Sorey suddenly had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. A very bad feeling. “Mikleo, what are you–”

“Thank you for helping me so much thus far. But, I have to ask...” he paused for a moment, seeming almost conflicted over what he was about to say. “Forgive me, but do I know you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just love cliffhangers, can you tell? :'D


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I knew I'd fall behind in writing...sorry for the extra day wait, everyone! Especially with how the last chapter ended... :'D

“W-what are you saying, Mikleo?” the brunette replied, laughing nervously. “If that’s supposed to be a joke, it’s not very funny...”

Mikleo remained completely serious, wanting desperately to know the answer to the question that’s been burning in him ever since he woke up with a giant, bloody bruise on the back of his head.

“You’re...you’re serious? You don’t...know who I am…?” The boy said slowly, seeming to be in complete shock.

“I can’t say I do,” Mikleo answered truthfully.

“But Mikleo, it’s me, Sorey! How can you not remember?” the brunette cried, seeming utterly distraught.

Mikleo hesitated, a bit perturbed by how emotional the stranger in front of him was becoming. “I’m sorry, Sorey, but I really can’t remember who you are. It’s the truth.”

A moment of silence passed as Sorey looked down, the look of distress still clearly visible on his face. Seeing the obviously heartbroken boy in front of him made Mikleo feel guilty. He felt like he really should know him, but he just couldn’t remember.

Wanting to ease his companion’s anguish, Mikleo continued, “But, you know, there are actually quite a few things I don’t know that I probably should...like how I wound up here, or how you know who I am. I don’t distrust you, though. You did help me out back there, after all.” He gave a reassuring smile as a token of his thanks.

“Mikleo...” Sorey’s eyes seemed to brighten a little.

“So, the logical explanation would be that the trauma to the back of my head has inflicted me with a mild case of amnesia...” Mikleo reasoned, placing his hand on his chin.

“Amnesia...” Sorey repeated, mimicking the other’s gesture. “How can we cure it?”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure,” Mikleo shook his head, “but it’s possible that remembering things related to what I’ve forgotten might bring my memory back.” When Sorey remained silent in thought, he continued, “Speaking of which, what were you saying earlier about this trip? What’s happened so far?”

Mikleo could see the immediate effect of his question on the brunette’s expression; he now looked the same as he did earlier when the subject was first brought up. “I...”

“Hey, are you all still there?” the voice from earlier suddenly boomed from behind the collapsed rocks.

“Francis?” Sorey responded, a bit hesitantly. _Why does he suddenly sound like he’s guilty about something…?_ Mikleo wondered.

“Oh, good. I thought I’d taken another wrong turn somewhere...” the man sounded quite relieved. “But anyways, Sorey, you won’t believe this! That bastard Eugene went and left us all here!”

“What? Are you sure?” the brunette replied, sounding very surprised at this new revelation.

“He sure did! I didn’t see any paramedics or anything on the way out, so I decided to at least go check on Eugene. But he wasn’t there! So, I called the number again, just to find out that he got taken back by himself. Do you know what that means? It means he _deliberately told them_ that he was the only one here! I can’t believe it! I swear, the next time I see that guy...” Francis paused and sighed loudly. “Well, at any rate, I told them that we needed more help, but they won’t be able to come until tomorrow morning. Apparently, there’s a big storm coming tonight, so they couldn’t fly in even if they wanted to.”

“Seriously? That’s not good...”

“Tell me about it. How is Mikleo doing?”

“I’m actually not in that bad of a shape,” Mikleo finally chimed in.

“Hey, he finally speaks!” Francis cheered. “Glad to hear you’re alright, buddy.” Mikleo really wished he had his memory back; one-way familiarity with another person sure felt strange.

“Well...he could be better,” Sorey added nervously. “He...kinda has amnesia.”

“He what? How did that happen?”

“He hit his head earlier when we fell down here,” the brunette admitted sheepishly.

“You fell?” Francis exclaimed. “How dangerous...well, I guess you guys should count yourselves lucky that no one received any serious injuries.”

“Y-yeah...” Sorey responded, suddenly sounding guilty again.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t heard anything from Millie yet...isn’t she there with you?”

Sorey looked down, unable to speak. _This is the first I’m hearing of a girl called Millie,_ Mikleo pondered. _What could have happened to her…?_

“Hello? Sorey?” Francis called out.

“Francis…” the distressed boy spoke, looking like he was about to break down at any given moment. “I'm so, so sorry…”

“W-what are you talking about, Sorey? What's happened to Millie!?”

“She's…” Sorey paused, struggling to bring himself to say the next word. _Could it be…?_ Mikleo thought in horror. _Is she..._ “She’s gone.”

For a few painfully long seconds, no one said anything. The only sound in the lonely cave was the rhythmic dripping of water somewhere in the distance.

“We were running back towards the shrine room, and then there was another trap, and...I’m so sorry, Francis, it’s all my fault...” Sorey lamented.

“Are you kidding me…?” Francis’s tone quickly changed from one of disbelief to one of hysterical anger. “This is a joke, right? You guys were supposed to protect her!” He then punched the rocky blockade in anger – or so Mikleo guessed, as he felt the walls shake in response. Sorey, apparently lacking the willpower to say anything else, remained in somber silence.

After another heavy pause, Francis – in a quiet voice that the two boys had to strain to hear – continued, “I...I’m done here. I’m gonna go find Millie and get out of this godforsaken place. Goodbye, Mikleo. Goodbye, Sorey.”

With that, the forlorn man slowly walked off, leaving the only two remaining expedition members all by themselves. Towards the end, it had looked like Sorey wanted to say something else, but he couldn’t bring himself to voice what he was thinking. Instead, the brunette now slumped to the floor, appearing completely broken by everything that had happened.

Ever since he had woken up with amnesia, Mikleo hadn’t actually seen another person aside from Sorey. He had conversed – in want of a better term – with Francis, but he never actually got to see him. Therefore, as it stood, Sorey was the only person with whom Mikleo could form a connection. Watching the miserable boy now, Mikleo felt a strange mixture of emotions stir inside him. _Pity for the unlucky boy who seemed to be the cause of everything bad that’s happened? Guilt that he probably played a part in the death of someone who at the moment was only a stranger to him? Or was there something else_ _locked away deep inside him_ _that he just couldn’t quite pinpoint?_

Regardless of the exact emotion that prompted him to do so, Mikleo decided that he should comfort the grieving boy somehow. Almost instinctively, he crouched down alongside Sorey and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, prompting the brunette to look up. “I know that I’m probably the last person who should have an opinion on this, considering I can’t even remember any of what’s happened,” Mikleo started uncertainly. “But I just wanted to tell you that you shouldn’t feel like you have to bear something like this alone. If you need someone to talk to, then I can help.”

“Mikleo...” Sorey seemed overwhelmed by his words.

“After all, you did help me. It’s only right that I return the favor.” Mikleo smiled reassuringly.

Sorey echoed his smile, although it was more of a sad one. “Thank you.” He paused, looking as if he was taking in what Mikleo said. Appearing to have reached a decision, he stood up and continued, “I think we should probably try to keep looking for a way out of here, though. Help might not be arriving until tomorrow morning, but we should at least be near the exit for when they do get here. Do you think you can walk better now?”

Mikleo was a bit concerned that his companion was holding back things that he needed to let off his chest. However, he knew that Sorey also had a valid point, so he stood up to test his motor skills. He was still a little off-balance, but it seemed like he could at least walk on his own now. “Yeah, I think so.”

“That’s great!” The brunette gave a more genuine smile this time. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“I’m glad I’m doing better, too,” Mikleo laughed, trying to lighten the mood some more. It apparently worked, as Sorey did seem to be back to what was probably his normal level of happiness now. A level of happiness which, Mikleo discovered, was quite blinding, although he didn’t find it unpleasant. On the contrary, he found that he likely wouldn’t mind seeing Sorey like this all the time. Having a friend who was always this joyful would probably be pretty great…

 _W-what am I thinking all of a sudden?_ Mikleo stopped his impromptu train of thought, becoming a bit embarrassed at himself. _I still know nothing about this guy, and yet I’m already considering him as a close friend!_

“Well, I’m ready to get going if you are,” Sorey called the confused boy’s thoughts back to the present.

“Ah, right,” Mikleo responded, pulling himself back together. “After you.”

* * * * *

From the corner of his eye, Sorey was keeping an eye on Mikleo to make sure that he didn’t fall down again. If he did, he would make sure to be there right in time to catch him. Sorey would never forgive himself if he let Mikleo get hurt again.

With the injured party no longer requiring assistance in walking, the two companions were able to cover more ground more quickly, and they soon reached the room into which they had originally fallen. To their dismay, however, there didn’t seem to be any way out of the passage where they were trapped; rocky blockades sealed off every possible route.

“The only way out is back up, huh...” Sorey observed.

“It sure looks that way,” Mikleo agreed.

“I would say that we could use the ropes in our bags to try to climb back up, but...” Sorey hesitated.

“...but since the foundation here seems to be very unstable, we’d just risk falling again,” Mikleo finished his statement. “Right?”

“Y-yeah,” Sorey affirmed, surprised at how well Mikleo seemed to have read his mind just then. He was always fascinated by the fact that most of the time, they knew each other’s thoughts well enough to even finish the other’s sentence. Apparently, even amnesia wasn’t enough to take away this strong connection that they had. _A strong connection…_

“So, what should we do now?”

“I guess we have no other choice but to wait here until tomorrow,” Sorey admitted.

“Alright. I assume that means we’ll be sleeping here on the ground, then,” Mikleo remarked, eyeing the floor in question.

“Yep,” Sorey answered, then elected to be the first to plop down on the cold stone. When Mikleo followed suit, he continued, “We should probably eat soon. I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve had anything.”

Sorey’s stomach immediately growled in affirmation, prompting his face to flush in embarrassment and causing Mikleo to burst out laughing. “Did – your stomach – tell you that?” he had trouble asking between laughs.

As if angry at his unjust outburst, Mikleo’s own stomach chose that moment to growl as well. Now, Mikleo hid his face in shame as Sorey laughed more than he had done in a long time. After he finally recovered, he continued his earlier thought, “So, I’ll take that as a ‘yes’ on food, courtesy of both of our stomachs?”

“Sure...” Mikleo avoided looking at the grin that was plastered on Sorey’s face, to his slight disappointment. They both reached into their bags and pulled out nutrition bars, which they began eating in silence. _I missed moments like that,_ Sorey reflected, a bit forlorn. _We need to get his memory back._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, no cliffhanger this time! That's a personal record.
> 
> One chapter remains! Look forward to the conclusion of this story within the next two days!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deeeeepest apologies for the super-late chapter...I swear, I tried my hardest to get this out before sormik week ended, but life happened. Anywho, here's the final chapter, and it's the longest yet! Hope it was worth the wait~

Mikleo felt very conflicted. On the one hand, he found that he enjoyed Sorey’s company much more than he thought he would have. Back when he first met him after regaining consciousness, he was having mixed feelings about the brunette. On the other hand, he still knew nothing about him, so he didn’t feel comfortable interacting so easily with someone who was basically a stranger.

Wanting to end the awkward tension that continued to hang above them, Mikleo decided to ask about their past. However, Sorey spoke up first: “Say...do you think you could tell me what things you _do_ remember?”

 _He beat me to it…_ Mikleo crossed his arms, trying to think past the dense fog that still clouded parts of his mind. He couldn’t remember a single detail pertaining to this supposed expedition that he had agreed to go on with the boy in front of him, but he could vaguely remember having gone on similar excursions in the past. “I think...I’ve been on trips like this one before?” he asked uncertainly.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Sorey seemed to instantly brighten at the knowledge of Mikleo’s small fragment of memory. “We’ve been going on expeditions like this for years now, ever since we graduated from high school together.” He then smiled, looking like he was caught up in fond memories.

 _Oh. Apparently we’ve known each other for a long time…_ Mikleo thought sadly, wondering why he couldn’t remember someone so close to him. “So...we met in high school, then?”

Sorey’s smile instantly disappeared, replaced instead with a look of pain. “You really can’t remember, huh...”

Even the physical pain he felt after waking up couldn’t compare to the intense bout of guilt that instantly hit Mikleo like a truck. He wished nothing more than to simply remember everything so he could stop causing such emotional pain to the anguished boy in front of him. However, nothing came back to him, so he chose to silently avert his gaze.

“We’ve known each other even before elementary school, as far back as I can remember actually. I don’t think there was ever a time in our lives when we were apart,” Sorey said quietly, his voice tinged with sorrow. “When we were young, we would always go on little adventures together, like exploring a cave in the nearby forest.” A fond smile touched his face again. “And as we grew up, we’d always try to be in the same class, no matter what. If we weren’t, we’d throw a fuss until we were! Everyone came to know us as the ‘unstoppable inseparables,’” Sorey laughed lightly, then paused before continuing. “Somewhere in the middle there, we decided that the archaeology we experimented with as kids was something that we wanted to keep doing for the rest of our lives. So, we tried our hardest to graduate early and get a head-start on our careers. Eventually, we did just that, and soon got our own expedition team formed just like we dreamed.”

Sorey looked at Mikleo now, almost expectantly. He had no idea how to respond to what he had just heard. To learn that they had such an extensive history together was a shock, to say the least. “Sorey...I’m sorry, I don’t...”

“...it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Sorey tried to reassure him, but his expression gave away how he truly felt. Before Mikleo could say anything else, Sorey continued, “We should probably be getting to sleep soon. We’ll want to be up before our help arrives.”

“...right...” Mikleo said reluctantly. Sorey was obviously upset, but apparently he did not want to talk anymore. This didn’t help the accumulating amount of guilt that Mikleo was feeling.

“Good night, Mikleo,” the brunette said, lying down on the ground.

“...good night, Sorey...”

Having heard his full history with Sorey, Mikleo was now more confused than ever as to why he couldn’t remember such a vital person in his life. _What else do I need to help unlock my lost memories…?_ he thought wistfully as he lied down to fall asleep.

* * * * *

Sorey didn’t want to cut their conversation where he did, but he just couldn’t take any more emotionally. He had hoped more than anything that explaining their past would bring Mikleo’s memories back, but the only thing it brought was more suffering to Sorey. Utterly lost on what else he could possibly do, he decided to just settle down for the night. The last thing Sorey wanted was to break down again in front of Mikleo.

After lying down for a while, he found that – unsurprisingly – he couldn’t sleep. What-ifs and worries about the future surged throughout his mind without end, tormenting him. _What else could I have said about us?_ Sorey brooded. _We’ve been best friends since childhood, and more recently roommates, and –_ and what else? He felt like there was something more, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Sorey also thought about bringing up their current expedition again to see if it would help him recover his memory, but he just couldn’t bring himself to talk more about the tragedies that had occurred.

Wanting desperately to focus on anything other than the bleak situation he was still faced with, Sorey decided to open his eyes for a bit. Now that the blackness of night was fully upon them, there was no longer any residual daylight to illuminate the cave, even remotely. Nevertheless, since his eyes were now more than adjusted to the dark, he was just barely able to make out Mikleo’s small frame lying near him. At first, Sorey thought that he was shifting around in his sleep, judging by the amount of movement he was perceiving. He wondered if maybe Mikleo was having trouble sleeping as well. However, the brunette quickly realized that the rapid movement he was seeing was actually shivering.

Mikleo was very thin, Sorey remembered, and thus got cold very easily. They could barely hear the storm from this deep inside the ruins, but it was probably raging full-force and likely brought in a cold front. The temperature in the caves was noticeably lower now than it was earlier.

From somewhere inside him, Sorey had the urge to sleep close to Mikleo to try to keep him warm. However, his rational side told him to keep his distance, since Mikleo still thought of him as a stranger. Instead, the brunette settled for removing his jacket and draping it over the shivering boy like a blanket.

Sorey watched as Mikleo’s trembling slowly came to a standstill; thankfully, it appeared that the addition of the jacket was enough to keep him sufficiently warm for the night. If nothing else, Sorey was at least glad to be able to help with something small like this. As he continued to watch Mikleo, he found himself subconsciously filling in the dots on what he couldn’t see of his friend in the dark.

After all the time that he knew him, Sorey could paint a clear mental picture of Mikleo even if he was asleep. The subtle curvature of his face, the way his long bangs were probably shading his eyes right now, the way he tended to part his lips ever so slightly as he slept...Sorey found every aspect of Mikleo beautiful. He oftentimes felt himself drawn to those lips especially. Even now, he felt a desire to meet them with his own... _oh._ He suddenly realized what that unknown factor he had been contemplating was all along. It seemed so silly now that it had taken him this long to realize it. But that he realized it only at this moment, now that Mikleo was suffering a serious case of amnesia, was all too cruel.

“Please come back to me, Mikleo,” Sorey pleaded softly. “I think I’m in love with you.”

* * * * *

Things were difficult for Mikleo. First of all, he was still feeling guilty over his impressive ability to keep putting Sorey in a depressed mood. His mind was racing so much that he just couldn’t fall asleep. Then to top it all off, he couldn’t stop himself from shivering on the cold ground. _How embarrassing…_

Mikleo’s thoughts ceased as he suddenly heard movement and soon felt something being draped across his body. _Is this...Sorey’s jacket…?_ Somehow, it was nostalgically comforting. It was still warm, and also had a vaguely familiar scent. Mikleo guessed that this probably wasn’t the first time that he had been taken care of like this.

As his body warmed up, his tension started to ease, and Mikleo got to thinking that maybe he would finally be able to fall asleep. However, as he was about to drift off, he heard Sorey start speaking scarcely loud enough to hear. Mikleo barely even heard the last part, but it replayed over and over in his head. _Did he say love? That he loves me? Love…?_

Like a slap across the face, Mikleo suddenly remembered that he himself had been thinking the same thing earlier that day. That he had been about to confess his own feelings towards Sorey, right before they both fell into this pit…

“Ah…!” Mikleo immediately shot up. He remembered everything. Their childhood together; their growing up in school; their archaeology team; the terrible things that had happened on this trip; everything came rushing back at once, like a flood.

“Mikleo?” Sorey called out in worry, turning on the lantern that they had been using earlier. He crawled over to Mikleo, who was currently holding his head in pain from the onslaught of recovered memories.

“Sorey...I...” Mikleo had trouble speaking, the throbbing of his head being a real hindrance at the moment. _But I have to tell him…!_

“Mikleo? What’s wrong?” Sorey looked at him with wide eyes, brows furrowed.

“Nothing’s wrong,” he replied with a small smile, shaking his head. “Not anymore.”

“What are you–”

“I _remember_ , Sorey,” Mikleo said warmly. The brunette’s face immediately lit up in response. “I remember everything.”

“For real? You’re absolutely sure?” Sorey said cautiously, seeming to hold back on celebrating until he was absolutely positive he wasn’t imagining it.

“As sure as I am that you’re the absolute densest person I’ve ever known in my entire life,” Mikleo let out a sigh, but couldn’t help himself from grinning. “I can’t _believe_ it took you this long to figure out how you felt.”

“Mikleo!” Sorey cried out. He had never heard anyone so simultaneously relieved and overjoyed in his life. The brunette then tackled Mikleo with what was also probably the tightest hug he had ever felt in his life. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“Idiot, I never went anywhere...” Mikleo said quietly with a persistent smile, returning the hug.

After a while, Sorey broke away, looking a bit bashful as he scratched the back of his head. “So, uh...about what I said...”

Mikleo knew exactly what he was talking about, but decided it would be more fun to torture Sorey a bit. “Hm...what was it that you said again? I’m afraid some of my amnesia might still be acting up...”

“Come on, don’t mess around like that!” he whined. “You know...how I...”

“How you...what?” Mikleo prodded, unable to stop himself from smirking slightly.

“How I...love you,” Sorey finally finished. He immediately looked down, his face a very noticeable shade of pink now.

Mikleo smiled now. “What about it?”

“Well, that was kinda...you can just ignore it, if you want...” A tinge of sadness touched his voice.

“You really are an idiot,” Mikleo sighed.

“Huh?” The look of utter confusion on Sorey’s face now almost made Mikleo burst out laughing. He resisted, however, wanting to finally end the poor boy’s suffering.

“I love you too,” Mikleo replied with a smile. Sorey’s mouth dropped open, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he had just heard. “I’ve loved you for a long time, actually. You just beat me to the punch.” The smaller boy winked. “This time, at least.”

He watched as Sorey’s expression morphed from open-mouthed shock to a wide grin. “Mikleo!” The ecstatic brunette charged in for another bear hug.

“Sorey, you’re really crushing me now,” Mikleo said, a bit breathless.

“Ah! Sorry...” Sorey drew away, nervously scratching his head again.

Once he was free, Mikleo sighed. “Is hugging the only thing you know how to do?”

“Eh?” Sorey responded cluelessly.

“There’s gotta be a limit to how dense you can be.” Mikleo tenderly placed a hand on Sorey’s cheek, settling his thumb below his mouth.

He could just see the realization spread across the other boy’s face, followed immediately by a bright blush.

“Do you get it now?” Mikleo said with a smile. Sorey simply nodded in response. “...do you want to?” he asked, a bit more hesitantly.

“Yes,” Sorey answered, surprisingly firmly. Maybe he noticed the uncertainty in Mikleo’s eyes, or maybe he just really wanted to take their relationship to the next level. Regardless of the reason, Mikleo strengthened his resolve and leaned forward to softly press his lips against the other boy’s. The kiss only lasted a second before Sorey pulled away, seeming upset.

“What’s wrong?” Mikleo said dejectedly, wondering if he did something wrong. “Did you...not like it?”

“No, I loved it. I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Sorey replied with a sad smile.

“...but?”

“But it just doesn’t feel right! Our friends have gone through so much agony today because of me, yet here I am, as happy as can be!” Sorey said exasperatedly. “I don’t deserve to be happy like this...”

“Sorey, now you’re making me angry.”

“Huh?”

“It’s true that if we hadn’t gone on this trip, nobody would’ve been injured the way they were,” Mikleo admitted sorrowfully. “But there’s no guarantee that the next trip wouldn’t have had some kind of danger, or the trip after that. It’s an occupational hazard.”

“But Millie–”

“I’m not saying we’re blameless, either. We are partially responsible for what’s happened, make no mistake, but there’s something you’re not understanding. You are not the only one to blame for everything that’s happened, so stop acting like it!”

“Mikleo...”

“You always, _always_ try to take on the burden all by yourself, no matter what it is, and then you only end up hurting yourself. It hurts me, too, to see you like that,” Mikleo said quietly. “So, please, learn to lean on me a little more. We’ll bear this burden together.”

Sorey looked away, appearing to be thinking about everything Mikleo had said; he seemed conflicted before finally settling on a decision. Turning back towards him, Sorey said, “Alright, Mikleo.” He extended his arm forward, hand balled into a fist. “Together.”

Happy that Sorey finally came around, Mikleo smiled and met his arm with his own. “Always.”

After they ended their gesture, Sorey laughed nervously, “Sorry I’ve been so difficult today.”

“Today?” Mikleo deadpanned. “Sorey, when are you _not_ difficult?”

“H-hey! That’s not fair,” the brunette complained, crossing his arms. “You were pretty difficult earlier too, you know. Slurring your speech and not being able to walk straight, and all.”

“Wha–? This and that are two different things!” Mikleo also crossed his arms, looking away with an angry blush on his face.

Apparently Mikleo’s expression was hilarious, as Sorey immediately burst out laughing. Looking back at how happy the brunette was now, Mikleo couldn’t help but join in on the laughter.

Once they had stopped laughing, both boys sat together in a comfortable silence. After a while, Sorey rubbed his eyes and said, “Well, after all that’s happened today, I really am tired now.”

“Yeah, me too,” Mikleo agreed. “Let’s finally get to sleep.” He lied back down from where he was still sitting. Then, realizing he still had Sorey’s jacket on him, he sat back up and said, “Oh, uh...here’s your jacket back.”

Sorey seemed confused, and Mikleo now asked himself why he was giving back a source of warmth that he’d actually need. He didn’t have to look too far into himself to find out why, however, and he quickly lied down again before his friend could say anything. Mikleo heard Sorey put his jacket back on and turn off the lantern before settling down next to him.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Mikleo started shivering again from the unceasing cold that pervaded the air around them. In fact, he was sure it was even colder now than it was just a few minutes ago. Just as Mikleo was cursing giving the jacket back, he heard movement next to him and suddenly found a pair of arms wrapped around his body. Sorey had positioned his chest against Mikleo’s back so he could keep him warm. _He’s spooning me…!_ he thought, a bit embarrassed.

The recycled heat of a jacket or even a proper blanket couldn’t compare to the comforting warmth he felt now from the living body that was touching him. It seemed to reach into his very soul, warming him up from the inside out. Smiling, Mikleo placed his own arms on Sorey’s and quickly fell into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, Sorey and Mikleo were quickly located by the rescuers and helped out of the hole into which they had fallen. They had little trouble finding their way back to the entrance of the ruins, and were soon enough reunited with the welcome brightness of the outdoors where a rescue helicopter was waiting for them.

Inside, they found Francis sitting in one of the seats. He glanced at Sorey and Mikleo as they entered the chopper, but otherwise ignored them, choosing instead to stare at a sheet on the ground with an all-too-familiar shape underneath it. The two friends took their own seats in silence and chose likewise to remain that way for the entire duration of their journey to the hospital.

 _After this whole thing cools off, I’ll let him know Millie’s last words,_ Mikleo thought solemnly. _I hope he takes them to heart._ As he looked at Sorey next to him, he decided that there were other things that needed to be taken care of in the meantime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all my readers for sticking with this story! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it (for the most part). I am planning on an epilogue however, so stay tuned! 'Til next time!


End file.
